"Coming down a slope," he said, "I just flipped forward and fell on my shoulder."
Radmanovic went to a doctor near Park City who took X-rays and informed the 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward from Serbia of the nature of his injury -- one that can take eight weeks to heal.
"I was really scared," Radmanovic said. "I panicked as to what the reaction was going to be."
Looking back, Radmanovic says he shudders at the thought of what might have been.
"This could have been something that finished my career," he said. "Fortunately, it didn't. It will be a good lesson for me."
How costly a lesson?
Kupchak and Jackson said they would sit down and discuss possible penalties for Radmanovic. They could void his contract, a highly unlikely outcome, according to a league source. They could suspend him, although he is already out six to eight weeks. Or they could simply fine him.
It's not a "criminal offense," said Kupchak, who added that Radmanovic's decision to publicly admit he had lied "is itself a punishment."
Radmanovic has been a disappointment with the Lakers, averaging only 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds a game in the first season of a five-year, $30.2-million contract.
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\o7Times staff writer Mike Bresnahan contributed to this report.\f7
steve.springer@latimes.com
